Hofbräuhaus to open next year

In this BND file video from Nov. 21, 2017, the Hofbräuhaus restaurant and brewery under construction in Belleville announced it would not open in "late fall" as originally expected. The developers said in November that it would open in late Januar

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In this BND file video from Nov. 21, 2017, the Hofbräuhaus restaurant and brewery under construction in Belleville announced it would not open in "late fall" as originally expected. The developers said in November that it would open in late Januar

The Hofbräuhaus on Friday announced that the German restaurant and brewery under construction off Illinois 15 in Belleville will open in late January and that the developers still plan to build a hotel next to the restaurant on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and St. Louis skyline.

The restaurant, which is being built by Chuck Keller, of Effingham, and his son, Chane Keller, was originally scheduled to open in the summer of 2016 and other targeted opening dates have been missed since then. Construction on the $12 million restaurant began in 2015.

“I’m thrilled to finally announce our opening timeline,” Chane Keller said in a news release Friday. He describes the Hofbräuhaus as “the cornerstone of the biggest hospitality district in the metro-east.”

In November 2016, a spokesman for the Kellers said construction would begin in spring 2017 on a six-story, $28 million Hyatt Place hotel. But that construction did not begin as announced. Construction for a convention center and a hotel is now scheduled to begin next spring, according to Friday’s news release.

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The 30,000-square-foot Hofbräuhaus will have seating for more than 1,100 customers at a time in the beer hall, private room and outdoor beer garden, according to the news release from Oak Tree Management, the company formed to operate the Hofbräuhaus. This will be the eighth Hofbräuhaus in the United States and the largest built to date.

Here are other Hofbräuhaus updates announced Friday:

▪ Installation of the brewery equipment is nearly complete. This installation is being managed by SALM, an Austrian company.

These are two of six beer storage tanks at the Hofbräuhaus under construction in Belleville.

Provided by Hofbräuhaus St. Louis – Belleville

▪ A beverage distribution system from German manufacturer Gruber will be installed in mid-January. This system will distribute beer, liquor and soda throughout the Hofbräuhaus and would be one of three such systems in the United States.

▪ Installation of kitchen equipment is underway, as well as hardwood flooring, wood paneling and furniture from Historic Timber & Plank Inc., of Brighton.

Hardwood wall accents inside the Hofbräuhaus under construction in Belleville.

Provided by Hofbräuhaus St. Louis – Belleville

The Belleville City Council in 2015 approved tax incentives worth up to $32.36 million for the Kellers, and the amount they receive is based on the number of businesses they open. Also, the city has spent more than $2 million to extend sewer lines to serve the site across from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Snows.